The 25 Best Cigars of the Year 2006

Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959 Torpedo

In 1959, the Toraño family owned 17 tobacco farms in Cuba, but they lost them to nationalization
under Castro. Like some latter-day Johnny Appleseed, Carlos Toraño brought Cuban-seed tobacco to
the Dominican Republic, and soon Toraños were growing in several countries, hoping to find a new
source of leaf in the wake of America's embargo on Cuban goods. Today, Carlos's ancestors Carlos
and Charlie Toraño have carried on his name by creating a cigar brand named for him, which
fittingly uses intriguing blends made from a host of countries, including many that aren't known
for their cigar tobaccos. The Exodus line—which is made with tobacco from five countries —gets its
name from the diaspora of Cuban cigarmakers and tobacco growers such as Toraño who were evicted
from their former home, and this rich, medium-bodied torpedo has wood and vanilla notes and a
sublime, easygoing style. It's also a stunning bargain—the 6 1/4 by 54 smoke retails for only
$5.45.